CHASING THE GAME

Q After short stints in Sydney and Wollongong, you made the move to the Gold Coast Blaze and thrived, taking out the league’s most improved player award in 2010. What changed for you on the Gold Coast?

A When you’re doing it professionally and in your first season, learning the system, it’s a lot to take on. I had a solid rookie season and then Joey Wright brought me up here to the Gold Coast to be a starter and put a lot of responsibility on me. He developed my game and put a lot of onus on me as a defender. I liked being under pressure.

Q You’ve called yourself the ‘curse’ in that a few of the clubs you played for, including the Blaze, went broke. Was it hard not knowing where your next contract would come from?

A It was. Sydney went under and I left Wollongong because they weren’t looking good either then when I got to the Coast and started playing for the Blaze, the team was building as were the crowds. I saw myself playing for that club for the rest of my career. People really cared about the club. I visualised us winning a championship. That really hurt when we got news they were folding because I was so emotionally invested. It was tough but it was probably tougher on my wife and kids. She’s incredible (wife Sarah). She played WNBL when she was younger and then obviously had our first child and stopped after that. She was a teacher as well so every state we moved to, she’d have to start again. For me being an athlete, it’s the same but a different city. It was tougher on her and my kids but she never made me feel that. It was pretty awesome.